Accelgor [QC 4/4] [GP 2/2]

<p>Accelgor is the fifth fastest of all Pokemon, and it's the second fastest Pokemon legal in Underused. This gives Accelgor a unique niche in Underused as a fast Spiker. Because of its sheer Speed, it can be considered much more reliable than Roserade or Qwilfish at getting a layer of Spikes up, as it outspeeds all Taunt users, bar Prankster Sableye and Tornadus-I. Accelgor maintains a usable base 100 Special Attack stat with decent coverage options, and is able to punish Rapid Spin users that try to switch in on it. However, the rest of Accelgor's stats are deplorable, and it carries a crippling Stealth Rock weakness. Despite its frailty and weakness to Stealth Rock, Accelgor is an underrated threat, is capable of setting up on many Pokemon while being able to throw its weight around, and should be considered when building offensive teams.</p>

<p>Using Accelgor's high base 145 Speed, this set is designed to guarantee a layer of Spikes on the opponent's field. The given EVs maximize Accelgor's phenomenal Speed while making good use of its base 100 Special Attack, allowing it to do some damage to the opposition. Spikes is the main reason why you'd ever want to use Accelgor, as it provides excellent team support by removing up to 25% of a grounded opponent's HP if three layers are up. Bug Buzz provides some offensive STAB, dealing sufficient damage to targets such as Shaymin, Weavile, and Azelf. Focus Blast provides decent coverage alongside Bug Buzz, allowing Accelgor to muscle its way through Steel-, Fighting-, and Fire-type opponents, such as Registeel, Hitmontop, and Arcanine. The last slot is preference-based, as Yawn can force a switch, giving Accelgor more time to set up a second layer of Spikes. U-turn allows Accelgor to scout the opposing team and gives it the chance to deploy Spikes later in the match.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The choice of Accelgor's ability is a safety preference thing, as Sticky Hold prevents Trick users from breaking Accelgor with ease, while Unburden ensures that Accelgor will be outspeeding anything bar priority moves, almost guaranteeing a second layer of Spikes. However, if Focus Sash fails to activate, so will Unburden. Final Gambit may be considered in the fourth slot, as it allows Accelgor to sacrifice itself against Rapid Spin users, prevent a Rapid Spin, and bring in a new Pokemon to check the spinner, thus ensuring that the hazards are not removed. However, if opting for Final Gambit, Accelgor should run max HP in order to deal as much damage to the opposing spinner as possible. Giga Drain is also a viable option for Accelgor in the fourth slot, as it hits Blastoise for solid damage while keeping Accelgor relatively healthy.<p>

<p>If opting for U-turn in the fourth slot, a Pokemon with access to Rapid Spin, such as Blastoise or Hitmontop, makes for a great teammate, as it will prevent multiple layers of hazards from accumulating, which would heavily reduce Accelgor's already shaky staying power. Raikou, Darmanitan, and Zapdos make for good teammates, as they can muscle their way past Prankster Sableye and Prankster Tornadus, who otherwise shut this set down with ease. Because of Accelgor's non-existent defenses, bulkier teammates that can take hits aimed at Accelgor are greatly appreciated. Chandelure or Arcanine can absorb Fire-type attacks aimed at Accelgor, while a generally bulky Pokemon, such as Suicune, Snorlax, and Cofagrigus, can help stomach other hits. Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Cofagrigus, Chandelure, and Mismagius, also make for excellent teammates, as they can block opposing Rapid Spin that would otherwise render Accelgor's efforts useless. Pokemon with grounded checks, such as Raikou and Zapdos, also benefit from being paired with Accelgor, as its multiple layers of Spikes helps wear down opposing Swampert and Rhyperior. Both Raikou and Zapdos also have the advantage of keeping the most popular spinner, Blastoise, off the field with their Electric-type STAB.</p>

<p>Taking advantage of Accelgor's legendary Speed and passable Special Attack, this set transforms Accelgor into a formidable revenge killer, capable of forcing switches and catching many walls off-guard. Sticky Hold prevents Knock Off and Trick from removing Accelgor's item, maintaining its offensive prowess. Bug Buzz is its STAB move, dealing hefty chunks of damage to Psychic-, Dark-, and Grass-type Pokemon, such as Slowbro, Sableye, and Roserade. Focus Blast, while inaccurate, provides great coverage alongside Bug Buzz, nailing the Steel-, Fire-, and Fighting-types, including Empoleon, Darmanitan, and Mienshao, that resist Bug Buzz. Hidden Power Ice allows Accelgor to decimate opposing Ground-, Flying-, and Dragon-types, such as Flygon, Crobat, and Gligar. The last slot is mostly preference-based. Acid Spray can force switches, forcing the opponent to rack up hazards damage and turn many of Accelgor's 2HKOs into OHKOs. Giga Drain is useful for recovering Life Orb recoil and maintaining Accelgor's survivability. U-turn works well if you opt for Choice Specs, as it allows Accelgor to generate momentum and bring in a formidable check to the opponent's Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Energy Ball may be used over Giga Drain, as it offers a slightly bigger punch, but it prevents Accelgor from recovering its HP. Despite packing a bigger punch, Accelgor will still find it difficult to get past opponents with saturated HP stats, and it appreciates having full entry hazard support from the likes of Rhyperior, Qwilfish, and other hazard layers. Like many special attackers, Accelgor is walled to hell and back by Snorlax and Porygon2, making Mienshao and Cobalion formidable teammates to give Accelgor more room to sweep with either of the special walls removed. Accelgor appreciates being paired up with a Weavile or Chandelure, as it struggles to get past many Ghost-type Pokemon due to its shallow movepool. It also desperately needs Rapid Spin support from either Blastoise or Hitmontop, as its vulnerability to all forms of entry hazard will greatly hinder its ability to open holes in the opposing team.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Hydration and Rest can be used on teams that include Rain Dance Kingdra or Tornadus, but Accelgor will be hard-pressed to find something to safely Rest against. Moves such as Acid Armor, Encore, Recover, and Substitute all provide half-assed answers to Accelgor's terrible defenses, but due to the offensive nature of the Underused tier, Accelgor will find it next to impossible to make any use out of them. Accelgor also has access to Sludge Bomb and Energy Ball, which are the only other offensive moves worth noting in Accelgor's shallow movepool.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Beating Accelgor is extremely easy if Stealth Rock is on the field, as the 25% cut in HP is a death sentence to it, giving even weaker Pokemon the opportunity to KO Accelgor. Prankster Taunt users, specifically Sableye and Tornadus, are solid shut-downs to the suicide Spiker set, bypassing Accelgor's impressive Speed stat and preventing it from using Spikes. However, they must watch out for the all-out attacker set, as Accelgor will blow through them with its powerful attacks. Snorlax and Porygon2 are exceptionally reliable checks to Accelgor, as their saturated special bulk allows them to tank hits from Accelgor all day while dealing severe damage back. Chandelure and other Ghost-types don't fear any of Accelgor's moves, can switch in with impunity, and can deliver hefty amounts of damage via Shadow Ball and other coverage moves. Faster Choice Scarf Pokemon, such as Raikou, Flygon, Darmanitan, and Heracross, can outspeed Accelgor and carry strong STAB or coverage moves capable of crushing it. Hitmontop is also a solid check to Accelgor, as it can basically switch in for free and spin away Spikes. However, Hitmontop must watch out for the odd Final Gambit, as it will be OHKOed.</p>

Moderator

I know that you're not finished with it, but you should give a big mention to Prankster Sableye and Tornadus stopping the Suicide Spiker, since let's face it, they're probably the only things that completely stop that set. Scarfers will prevent it from setting up more than one layer, so of course they're also important stops. That is, supposing you're running it as a Dedicated Lead similarly to Froslass...

I know that you're not finished with it, but you should give a big mention to Prankster Sableye and Tornadus stopping the Suicide Spiker, since let's face it, they're probably the only things that completely stop that set. Scarfers will prevent it from setting up more than one layer, so of course they're also important stops. That is, supposing you're running it as a Dedicated Lead similarly to Froslass...

if i were you i would scrap talking about how you should use a secondary spiker...one or two layers of spikes is fine for most uu teams and its not like any other type of team are running double spikers to make sure they have 3 spikers.

and your offensive set isn't walled to hell by snorlax in fact I bet it would be a decent Snorlax/P2 lure by using Acid Spray+Focus Blast would ko or irreparably harm laxy.

And since the spiker set is obviously going to be the most common you might as well give good lead matches for the checks and counter section like something that can u-turn to break the sash to something that can immediately ko so they are limited to one spikes only. or scarf cincinno C:

RU Co-Leader

Hey Pokemazter, im not really a UU player but i have one small suggestion for this analysis.

I have had a lot of success in various tiers using Final Gambit on my spikes Accelgor, while it may seem kinda crazy/dumb at first, hear me out, Final Gambit serves a very important purpose. By using Final Gambit against a Rapid Spinner, Accelgor can sacrifice itself and thus prevent the opponent from being able to spin that turn, this also provides you with a free opportunity to bring in a pokemon that can immediately threaten the spinner in question or your spinblocker, making it much easier to keep your spikes on the field, i would personally like to see it slashed along with Yawn but an AC mention would be fine too imo.

Hey Pokemazter, im not really a UU player but i have one small suggestion for this analysis.

I have had a lot of success in various tiers using Final Gambit on my spikes Accelgor, while it may seem kinda crazy/dumb at first, hear me out, Final Gambit serves a very important purpose. By using Final Gambit against a Rapid Spinner, Accelgor can sacrifice itself and thus prevent the opponent from being able to spin that turn, this also provides you with a free opportunity to bring in a pokemon that can immediately threaten the spinner in question or your spinblocker, making it much easier to keep your spikes on the field, i would personally like to see it slashed along with Yawn but an AC mention would be fine too imo.

So what do you guys think? Is final gambit worth it?

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With max HP, that would peak at 364 damage (only does like 271 with the current spread). The common spinners, Blastoise and Hitmontop, reach 362 HP and 304 HP respectively. Because of how much HP Blastoise actually has, the 244 in HP probably wouldn't be worth it. It really takes away from Accelgor's shallow SpA stat.

I'll let the rest of QC weigh in on this, but from my point of view, running near max HP on Accelgor just seems like a bad idea.

EDIT:

Alright, with the idea of killing off Accelgor to bring in a spinblocker, it works, but if you're going out of your way to either a, predict the switch to the spinner, or b, bring in the spinner that way, why not just switch either beforehand or once the spinner is out? If you could elaborate on this Molk, I'll probably be able to see where you're coming from on this idea.

just an idea that i tested out. it seemed to work.
why don't you put focus sash with unburden? Unburden will stick work and double
your speed.
I did this with my offensive lead Accelgor with Modest for extra power.

just an idea that i tested out. it seemed to work.
why don't you put focus sash with unburden? Unburden will stick work and double
your speed.
I did this with my offensive lead Accelgor with Modest for extra power.

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In theory, doesn't sound like that bad of an idea. However, Sticky Hold prevents moves such as Switcheroo, Trick, or Knock Off (albeit the latter does break the sash regardless) from removing the Sash, whereas Unburden can't prevent that. I'll run this past QC and get their opinions on it.

With max HP, that would peak at 364 damage (only does like 271 with the current spread). The common spinners, Blastoise and Hitmontop, reach 362 HP and 304 HP respectively. Because of how much HP Blastoise actually has, the 244 in HP probably wouldn't be worth it. It really takes away from Accelgor's shallow SpA stat.

I'll let the rest of QC weigh in on this, but from my point of view, running near max HP on Accelgor just seems like a bad idea.

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The damage you do isn't really the point. The point is Rapid Spin fails after you use it, and then you can bring in something like Raikou / Zapdos into Blastoise or a Psychic type into Hitmontop to send them out.

(to be clear: don't invest in HP to use final gambit - just run the attack to stop rapid spin for a turn)

I'd remove the attacking set. If I'm using this in UU, its for Spikes. Also like pif said, scrap talking about a secondary Spiker, you definitely don't wanna waste two slots on that...

You also need to talk more about why you would use this over Froslass (Speed so you can't get Taunted + Final Gambit, mostly). You also definitely want Final Gambit here for reasons stated above, and probably enough HP investment to kill a certain threat--I'm not sure which one yet, so I'll get back at you on that. Ability should not get a tag, btw.

I would say it has a niche as an attacker - it's basically a Choice Scarfer in terms of sheer speed but it gets to run Life Orb. Timid Accelgor with Life Orb has the same effective Special Attack stat as Modest Choice Scarf Zapdos, while being almost as fast.

Once again, my bugged subscriptions folder didn't notify me when you guys posted. Here's what I got from it:

-Give reasoning why one would use this thing over Froslass
-Final Gambit is a go, just waiting on an HP investment if any
-Remove comment about a secondary spiker

Now regarding the offensive set, cim raised a good point there. It has offensive viability, as it can and does hit like a truck, while having the speed to do so. Unless the majority of QC doesn't want to see the set, I really don't see what's wrong with it in the second spot.

I'll test out the offensive Accelgor set for you (I personally think it has potential, its so fast!)

I'd honestly straight up slash unburden as an ability choice. Both of them provide Accelgor with negligible upsides, but I can see why someone would choose either abilit. Go ahead and mention Final Gambit in AC (this might change to an actual slash after testing) If Final Gambit is used, you should mention running max HP to maximize its effectiveness. On the Suicide Spiker set, feel free to mention Giga Drain in AC to combat Blastoise as a potential rapid spinner. You won't kill it, but you'll do some respectable damage.

Hitmontop needs to be mentioned in checks & counters, because it can kind of switch in for free and spin.

I'll test out the offensive Accelgor set for you (I personally think it has potential, its so fast!)

I'd honestly straight up slash unburden as an ability choice. Both of them provide Accelgor with negligible upsides, but I can see why someone would choose either abilit. Go ahead and mention Final Gambit in AC (this might change to an actual slash after testing) If Final Gambit is used, you should mention running max HP to maximize its effectiveness. On the Suicide Spiker set, feel free to mention Giga Drain in AC to combat Blastoise as a potential rapid spinner. You won't kill it, but you'll do some respectable damage.

Hitmontop needs to be mentioned in checks & counters, because it can kind of switch in for free and spin.

Don't forget to implement the other suggested changes!

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C'est finis. Now for the rest of QC to take a meander at this, erm, mollusc.

Thanks to the influx of Rain Dance teams that followed the drops of Tornadus and Virizion, a set utilizing Hydration and Rest is now relatively viable.

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I would remove this, as it is really misleading. Instead, just mention that Hydration+Rest can be used on teams that include RD Kingdra or Tornadus, but you're most likely not going to get the chance to Rest safely.

It was put there in case you went up against the rare rain team, and on the chance you got status'd, it would heal. Sticky Hold works better, thinking about it again, so yeah, I'll do that.

I would remove this, as it is really misleading. Instead, just mention that Hydration+Rest can be used on teams that include RD Kingdra or Tornadus, but you're most likely not going to get the chance to Rest safely.

Moderator

When mentioning the use of Unburden on the Suicide Spiker, I think it's worth noting that your ability only activates if your Sash is broken, meaning if you're attacked and the Sash doesn't activate, you won't be getting the boost—since you could technically get it back up by using Wish / HW / Lunar Dance. This is important because, when facing faster Scarfers, if you aren't brought down to Sash then you won't be able to get a second layer of Spikes.

When mentioning the use of Unburden on the Suicide Spiker, I think it's worth noting that your ability only activates if your Sash is broken, meaning if you're attacked and the Sash doesn't activate, you won't be getting the boost—since you could technically get it back up by using Wish / HW / Lunar Dance. This is important because, when facing faster Scarfers, if you aren't brought down to Sash then you won't be able to get a second layer of Spikes.